Chapter 19 Kael
KAEL
Sweet beads at my temples, my chest heaves with every sharp inhale, and my fingers tremble against her skin. My blood has never run as cold as it is in this moment. My mind pulses, reeling and racing with my brother’s command, and no matter how hard I fight it, it still threatens to prevail.
He can’t win. Not this time.
Staring deep into her eyes, I feel myself drowning. Every blink changes the contrast of my vision. One moment, I can see everything clearly, the next, it’s like everything is stained crimson, a beacon to the vampire inside of me, ready to follow my brother’s command.
My nostrils flare at the mere thought of him, hatred burning in my chest, ready to ignite like a firework in the dead of night.
I’ve contained it before, garnered the ability to continue to put the fuse out when it comes to him, but now, when I can see it affecting someone who matters to me, I can’t fall victim to his cruel mind any longer.
I need to do whatever it takes to keep Elodie safe, and if that means putting an end to me so I’m no longer a threat, then so be it. It won’t stop my brother in the long run, but at least it’s another minion out from under his control.
Elodie blinks up at me, an array of emotions storming in her eyes. It makes my breath stutter, but it’s too real to absorb, so I cast my gaze down at the floor. She doesn’t fight against me, she doesn’t try to wriggle out of my hold, and she doesn’t even consider trying to make a run for it.
She should. She should get as far away from me as possible, no matter how much it hurts me to think about it. The longing burns through my veins despite her standing right in front of me, a familiar sense I’ve had only once before, and the reminder of it makes my heart ache.
The night my parents were carted away.
I shudder. Fuck knows what role I played in that. With Jude, nothing ever makes sense, and seeing myself right now, torn at his command, confirms I’ve been his puppet on a string for too long.
I’m a vampire. That’s who I am. Always. Even with my parents around. They may have wanted a better community for us, but we were still vampires first. Strong-willed, determined, and unwavering.
Now, I don’t care about any of that. I only care about the girl before me.
I just want her.
If I could make this all go away, it would just be so I could be near her.
But as luck would have it, I don’t get my own way on this. Not when I’m currently the most significant threat here.
Despite my better judgment, I look up through my lashes to meet her gaze, and the order thrums through me faster.
Serve me. Take my command.
“Argh,” I bite, teeth clenched as my skull burns. If I just do as I am told, the sensation would go away.
“Thorne?” she whispers, her voice melodious as it cuts through my thoughts, but the burn doesn’t subside this time; the need to follow Jude’s command is winning.
“SOS, what does that mean?” I bite, the corners of my eyes crinkling as I try to hold it together.
Elodie shakes her head, eyes wide with a slight tremble of panic, but there’s no fear. “Fuck knows right now, but I’m hoping,” she insists, and I huff.
“We’re past hoping, Elodie. Just press your goddamn palms against my chest and make it stop!” I shout, frustration getting the better of me, but my command only seems to make her more defiant.
“I’m not going to do that,” she states with a sense of confidence I’ve never borne witness to before, especially not from the batshit crazy girl who has stolen every piece of me.
“I’m serious, Elodie,” I warn, my voice growing louder and tighter all at once. “It’s terrorizing me. I can’t hold back much longer.” The burning sensation trickles down the back of my neck, threatening to overtake the rest of my body and leave me no choice but to follow Jude’s order.
“You won’t need to,” she insists, a soft but tense smile on her lips.
“You’re not listening,” I snap with desperation, and she takes a deep breath.
“I hear you loud and clear, Kael.” Her words are firm, but they don’t stop the way the sensation threatens to consume me. Before I can explain it to her, the sound of the door slamming open behind me makes me jolt.
My eyes narrow as I glance over my shoulder, sure I locked the damn thing when I came in. Whether I did or not, it now swings open, hanging off its hinges as two figures fill the frame.
Rion and Thorne.
Thank fuck.
“What the fuck is going on?” Rion snarls, his gaze dancing between Elodie and me, but his laser focus shoots to where my fingers are coiled around her arm.
He’s not happy.
Good.
“She needs your help,” I plead, at the exact same time as Elodie speaks too.
“He needs your help.” Her voice is a lot calmer than mine.
I shake my head, needing them to see what she’s not seeing. “Tell her to end me.” Every word is a bite, a plea, a breath of desperation, but as Rion inches further into the room, Thorne a step behind him, they both look at me like I’m a fool.
A hand brushes down my arm and I whimper.
The desire to sink into her softness is entirely overshadowed by the rippling pain inside of me that continues to spread.
“Kael, I sent the SOS from your cell. They came to your aid,” she explains, making my breath lodge in my throat as I tip my gaze to the floor once again.
“Well, it’s not working,” I grunt, defeat getting the better of me.
“What are we helping with exactly?” Thorne asks, his voice calm like Elodie’s but laced with ice, confirming that even though they’ve shown up here for me, they’re still raging mad.
I don’t blame them. I would be the same if it were the other way around.
Elodie clears her throat. “He says Jude is in his head. That his actions aren’t always his own.”
I feel like I’m having an out of body experience right now, staring at myself through their eyes. I hate it.
“And you believe him?” Rion grunts, his tone incredulous as he gives me a pointed look.
“I don’t think I would have had I not seen it for myself,” Elodie explains, and my grip tightens around her arm. I know I’m leaving bruises. I can’t help it. “Look,” she adds, tossing my cell phone through the air, and Rion catches it with precision.
“Please,” I whisper, the burning sensation creeping down my spine. I don’t have much time left.
“It’s okay, Kael. Just a little longer,” she encourages, but I shake my head.
She must sense my desperation because her hand lifts to my cheek, cupping my face, and I instinctively lean into the touch. In my heart, it only makes the matter worse.
“These are messages from Jude,” Rion states, and Elodie hums in agreement.
“The one written in a different language. That’s what we need to focus on. When I asked him to read it, he became a little more… unhinged,” she states, and I scoff. Unhinged is one word to describe it, but it’s not the one I would have gone for.
“Holy shit,” Thorne breathes, making my muscles tighten as Rion clears his throat.
“What does this mean?” the wolf asks, and Elodie tightens with a hint of frustration.
“Can we get to that part once he’s not affected anymore?” Her voice turns a little terse and it makes my dick stiffen beneath my pants.
Fuck.
Now is not the time.
“Good idea,” Rion mutters, followed in quick succession by the sound of heavy footsteps heading our way.
The air moves around me and I brace for impact, but Elodie’s voice rings shrill through the air. “Don’t you dare hurt him!”
Rion appears to our left, arms raised in surrender as he blinks between the two of us, unsure of what to do.
“I’m fine. Do whatever it takes. Just make it fucking stop,” I beg.
My friend looks at me with uncertainty, but before he can make a decision, hands clamp down on my shoulders and the room goes dark.
Black smoke billows in every direction, swirling around me as Thorne’s whispered voice swarms my senses.
“Solvor vincula aliena. Reddo voluntatem tuam. Recedat imperium iniustum. Sis liber, et tibi redeas.” My heartbeat quickens, my breath strangled in my throat.
“Solvor vincula aliena. Reddo voluntatem tuam. Recedat imperium iniustum. Sis liber, et tibi redeas.” The burning sensation eases, a chill running down my spine in its wake.
“Solvor vincula aliena. Reddo voluntatem tuam. Recedat imperium iniustum. Sis liber, et tibi redeas.”
My fingers fall slack, releasing Elodie as my legs give out beneath me, and I fall to my knees.
I don’t make it all the way down, managing to keep some control of my spine, but my head dips, my chin falling to my chest as my eyelids fall closed. I can hear them murmuring around me, but I’m too exhausted to do anything.
My mind is quiet. My body is weak. My soul is shattered.
I can’t see, but I feel hands gently touch me and I don’t fight it. Hiked to my feet, I don’t know how I have the strength to stand, but with my arm slung around someone’s shoulders, and another strong build propping me up on the other side, I know I’m moving.
Nothing makes sense around me except for the warm press of a palm against mine.
It’s the only thing keeping me from floating away into the dead of night.
My steps are slow, but grow more confident after each one, my senses ghosting along my skin just in time for me to finally be able to understand what they’re whispering about.
“We can take it from here,” Thorne murmurs, and I can only assume it’s to Elodie, but her hand tightens further around mine.
She stays by my side as I hear the sound of a door swing open, then another, before I’m slowly lowered to a bed. Not any bed. My bed.
Thank God.
Sleeping in my car was not a good look for me.
The whispers continue, but I don’t open my eyes.
I know I can, but I just cannot bring myself to do it as soon as her hand slips from mine.
It’s only when I hear the door click shut in the distance that I let defeat set in.
It’s intertwined with relief, knowing that I didn’t hurt her, but fuck knows how long Thorne’s magic will suffice.